Improvement in carriage-axles



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

ALFRED E. SMITH, OF BRONXVILLE, NEIV YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN CARRIAG E -AXLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 107.] 12, datedSeptember 6, 1870.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED E. SMITH, of Bronxville, WVestchester county,and State of N ewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin the Manufacture of Axles for IVagons and other Vehicles; and I dohereby declare that the following is afull description of the same.

As explanatory of the object of my invention, and to obtain a betterunderstanding of its nature, it may not be deemed improper to point outthe difficulties attending the use of the axle in the ordinary way ofsecuring it in the hub by a simple screw-nut. In the ordinary way ofmaking the axle, the nut draws directly against the edge of the metalbox. As this is only about an eighth of an inch thick, it causes theleather washers used to pack the axle to cut or grind out in two orthree days time running the wagon or vehicle, thereby causing the wheelsto rattle, and soon, if not repacked with leather washers, destroy theaxle, and at the same time allow of the escape of the grease.

The nature of my invention, therefore, is to overcome these objections;and it consists in combining with a metal box having a contractedaperture at its front end an axle or spindle made with adouble-shouldered point,whereby the screw-nut which holds the wheel onthe axle draws against the face of the enlarged area of the end of themetal box, instead of against its edges, as would be the case if it hadnot been so contracted.

To describe my invention more particularly, I will refer to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, the sameletters of reference, wherever they occur, referring to like'parts.

Figure 1 is a side View of the axle and box in which it runs. Fig. 2 isa longitudinal cut section of the same. Fig. 3 is a detached view of thepoint of the axle.

Letter A represents the axle, the point of which is made in twosubdivisions, B and O, of unequal diameters, and of less diameter thanthe body of the spindle or axle. The object of this formation of the endof the spindle is, first, to obtain a greater area of surface betweenthe nut D and the end of the box E for the leather washer F to wear uponor against than would be the'case if the spindle were of uniformdiameter throughout its length and the screw-threads B cut on its end,as commonly practiced,which allows only of the edge of the metal box fora bearing for the leather washer, and thereby, from its small amount ofwearing-surface, is soon worn out, and causes the wheel to rattle, andat the same time leak the grease or oil with which it is lubricated,-secondly, to make the bearing part of the spindle or body part of itshorter than the box, so as to combine with the double-nibbed axle anoil-chamber, G, within the end of the box, in consequence of itscontracted front end by the formation of the ledge H therein, to fitupon the subdivision 0 of the spindle. This ledge, it will be observed,is flush with end of the box, and about. an eighth of an inch deep.Consequently it admits of the use of a washer of about twice thewearing-surface of an ordinary washer, and at the same time, by itscontracted aperture and the shortened bearingsurface of the body of thespindle, forms an oilchamber, G, within'the end of the box, to preventthe escape of the. grease or oil therefrom. Having now described myinvention of a new manufacture of axles, Iwill proceed to set forth whatI claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States:

1. The axle A, formed with double nibs B and O, of unequal diameters, incombination with a metal box having a ledge, H, flush with the outer endof the box, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The axle A, formed with double nibs B and O, of unequal diameters,the metal box E, with its ledge H; the oil-chamber G, washer F, and nutG, the whole combined and ar-- ranged to operate substantially as setforth. ALFRED E. SMITH.

' \Vitnesses:

C. L. BARRITT, FRANKLIN BARRI'IT.

